Another Day in the Masaki House
by Clefster1
Summary: The title says it all. Doesn't require any knowledge of the series to understand.


Another Day in the Masaki House

Another Day in the Masaki House

"Yawn," Tenchi got up from his bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He casually pulled his work robes over his head like he did everyday. Tenchi's life was routine. That is to say, it was as routine as it could be when one lives with four alien women.

Tenchi opened his window and breathed in the fresh morning air. Songbirds chirped as the lay in their nests or flitted past the window searching for breakfast. 

"Breakfast," Tenchi thought aloud. He could sense the smell of frying bacon and eggs wafting up to him from the kitchen downstairs. 

Tenchi entered the kitchen to find Sasami standing in front of the stove with the frying pan, a common sight in the morning at the Masaki house. Tenchi began to sit down on the right side of the table, the same place he sat every morning, but stopped. Something was wrong here. Something was out of place, and something had interrupted his routine. 

"Here Tenchi," Sasami said in the same sweet innocent voice that she always used as she handed him his breakfast plate. 

Tenchi looked up at her. On her head, Sasami was wearing a green headband with what looked like reindeer antlers branching off of it. Tenchi cocked his head, perplexed. He had to deliberately stop himself from asking the question that was on his mind. Whatever it was, he didn't want to get involved. Not this time. Being dragged into situations he'd rather not be in was also part of Tenchi's routine. 

Sasami giggled and went back to her cooking

"Sasami," Tenchi thought. Sasami was the princess of one of the richest and most powerful empires in the universe, and every morning she cooked his breakfast. Tenchi's mind wandered and he felt honored that he had such good friends. Tenchi's mother died when he was very young. It was nice to have girls around, again. 

Tenchi was sipping a cup of coffee when he heard yelling from up stairs. A white sweet drop of annoyance materialized on his brow when he realized what the ruckus was. 

"Typical," Sasami said to her self from the other side of the kitchen. 

They could hear someone stomping down the stairs with anger.

"Not again," Tenchi muttered under his breath. Ayeka and Ryoko, two other alien girls, were constantly at each other's throats. Their fights, which were most often over Tenchi, always ended in a heated display of power, and more often than not left a portion of the house in ruin. Ryoko and Ayeka's quarrels were another part of the pattern of Tenchi's life. A less desirable part but a necessary one. 

Ayeka entered the room. Her face was red with defeat but her long swishing hair showed her unwillingness to lose her charismatic composure. Sasami gave her a plate of food and she sat down.

Tenchi started to say good morning, but almost fell out of his chair in shock when he looked clearly at Ayeka. On top of her head was a headband like Sasami's, but this one sported a set of deer antlers.

Tenchi truly didn't know what to make of this so he tried shove it out of his mind. 

"Ayeka, the eldest princess of Jurai," Tenchi pondered for a moment. "Jurai!" Tenchi thought in victory. Sasami and Ayeka are wearing these weird hats for some kind of Juraian holiday that he didn't know about. Confident in his conclusion, Tenchi pushed back from the table ready to do his chores around the shrine.

As he was walking from the house Tenchi heard a familiar voice. 

"TEEEEEEENCHI!" Her scream could be heard a mile around as the green haired, cat tailed, space pirate approached through the air. 

"I'm sorry Ryoko, but I have to start my chores early today because…." As he turned around to face his would be suitor, Tenchi was stunned.

"What's wrong Tenchi?" Ryoko asked casually.

"….Nothing. Nothing, I just have to get going on my work." Tenchi stammered. He turned back around toward the shrine. Ryoko grunted and flew away, probably to go pester Ayeka. 

Tenchi continued his trek. For a second he had thought Ryoko was wearing moose antlers, but that was silly. Wasn't it?

He had almost convinced himself that he hadn't seen anything emerge from Ryoko's spiky hair, when he reached his destination. He cleaned off the shrine's stairs and raked all the autumn leaves from its yards. Doing work restored his routine and helped him take his mind off the unusual events of the day. 

About noontime, Tenchi's grandfather who was the head of the shrine appeared in its doorway holding two handkerchief bundles. "Sasami sent us lunch," he said shortly without sounding emotionless. Tenchi ran behind his grandpa and felt his head. There was nothing there. 

"Grandpa, have you noticed anything strange going on around here lately?" Tenchi asked hesitantly as they unfolded their lunches. 

"You mean other than the four aliens that live with us, the tree in our yard that was once a spaceship, and our Galaxy Police friends down town who are first class Galaxy detectives, but can't hold a job here?" Grandpa managed to get out in his low wise voice without sounding too sarcastic. 

"Yes that's what I mean," Tenchi said while munching on a sandwich.

"Tenchi, you must learn that sometimes people don't need a reason to do the things they do," Grandpa said, his glasses glinting in the sun. 

Tenchi finished his lunch and began to fold the handkerchief that Sasami had sent his lunch in. He noticed with a tinge of annoyance that it was covered in scenes depicting a small cartoon-like elk. 

When Tenchi had finished his work and training for the day, he started on the long trip back to the house. 

When he approached the house he looked over to the stump where Ryo-Ohki usually napped. At any given time, Tenchi could've found their household pet either resting on her stump or running amuck in the carrot fields. 

Tenchi was not surprised to notice that today the cabbit, an alien creature having features similar to a rabbit's and a cat's, was wearing a tiny little set of antler nubs like those on a baby deer. 

"Meow," Ryo-Ohki purred with warmth. Tenchi sighed and moved on.

Tenchi reentered his house and was greeted by the smell of fish being cooked. Before he could make it to the kitchen, however, Tenchi was pulled into a door in the wall that had not been there ten seconds before. 

The mechanical arm set Tenchi down on a small examining table in the middle of a large black room piled high with computers and machinery. Washu, the mad scientist of the bunch, was standing in the shadow of a large machine she was working on. 

"Tenchi, I got your lab results back today," in her high nasal voice and 'I know so much more than you' tone. "You're healthy as a hare!"

"You mean healthy as a horse?" Tenchi said anticipating what would happen next. 

"Whatever," Washu said coming up to the table where he sat. The move revealed her headgear. A nice large pair of shaggy caribou antlers. 

"Thanks Washu," Tenchi said tactfully leaving the room before he lost his cool. 

He didn't want to get mixed up in whatever game they were playing with him, but not knowing what was going on was maddening. This seemed to happen often. 

The door disappeared behind him as Tenchi entered the living room. Ayeka was sitting on the couch knitting. She was still wearing her antlers.

"Ayeka, I have to know. Why are all of you wearing antlers, today?" Tenchi asked in desperation.

"We just wanted to see your reaction, Tenchi," Ayeka said calmly.

Tenchi exhaled in relief. "How typical," he thought.

"I love you guys."

"We love you, Tenchi."

[END]

Disclaimer: I do not own Tenchi Muyo or any of the characters in it. It is owned and licensed by Pioneer Entertainment. The characters were originally designed by Masaki Kajishima. I am not making money off these characters or this story in any way.


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